Week Nineteen MIAMI VICE!
Wow, talk about a trip I shall recall my whole life! For I returned on Monday early, yet was just barely able to unpack and zomb my way through the daylight hours to fight jetlag. Only five hours zone-shift versus six for Texas and more for Vegas but coming back East is a bugger Yes, I know to even hint of any muh-ness over that is way beyond ungrateful, as any single ONE of you reading this would have loved to have gone in my place.
One or two of you reading would have carried my bags naked for the chancejust no pretty ones! (Sorry, Eddie Dalby-lad!)
We saw how they make stuff at JL Audio and I can tell you that hand built American craftsmanship is alive and well in the USA. In fact it is rocking its arse off and taking ten hour days and three day weekends. Their company building is immense and yet the production lines for their exotic woofers and other products are all hardly longer than the single one I assembled for Acoustic Energy all those years ago. Their sophistication, speed and output made what I did look like finger-painting versus Michelangelo, mind. It is an awesome place. and I mean that in BRITISH English. I was awestruck. They are Americans Building A Better Mousetrap.
The top end dealer lads that Celsus Ice took, partied hard enough (after work) to kill me. And it nearly did kill poor Lem from Oxford Car Audio as he had a bit of an Air Hostess Scarer moment as he passed out on flight VS6 home. In typical bloke style, I have not even called him to check he has lived. I do so hope he did. He’s clever and funny and doesn’t even think he’s posh-sounding.
I was treated like an old and respected member of Car Audio Royalty throughout, which was a deliciously embarrassing treat and although I missed out on seeing the car HiFi shops out there and DIDN’T pay £nutty to get in to see David Guetta in Ocean club, Miami, by being elsewhere, I DID get an interview with the Bass Mekanik and DJ Billy E Okon who are partners in bass and even more important players than I had any idea, instead. Even after all these years.
DAMN! I forgot to do the still selfie with either of these heroes but I shot lots of vids and tonight is a YouTuber to get them UP.
Huge backlog of stuff- and people-writing to wade through as this added to no-keyboard time, yet I shall enjoy throwing down for you in the near future. It has been a bit tough. But I haven’t been as bad as my Bossy Big Sister, who has just had a knee replaced. She was joking, in a moment of levity to cope at dad’s wake, but said to her friend, all sad and Victorian melodrama style ‘I’m a crippled orphan!’
There was just one thing that marred my trip. There are posters with tremendous blown up graphics of double page ads in the past, complete with quotes, in the JL Audio corporate office areas. Respect to Peter Hawkins and Total Car Audio which lasted a year or so but his name is on his quote behind reception, yet the Fast Car quote, on the one in the corridor, which I recall writing, has just the publication’s credit.
I said I wanted to sign a sticker and slap it on the front of the framed printy, to claim the single basic author credit, even before money! Just to have your name on it. They thought I was joking sigh. (returns to work and squishes ego back into its stuffsac)
Fact is, it was an honour and a privilege and I want to thank Paul Baker and his crew, especially Mike V and Chris Bennett in particular, who was our mother hen. A sort of rock n roll mother hen who gave great advice about pace and self control.
But still gave a terrible example. Respect. Love you, man!
Adam Rayner On Line Editor